


Constellations

by Scriptor_Bellum



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Death, F/M, Gen, I'm kind of a baby to this fandom so apologies for any mistakes! :), leave kudos and comments if you like, more tags and characters will be added as I actually add more ficlets heh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-30 19:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10170221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scriptor_Bellum/pseuds/Scriptor_Bellum
Summary: A collection of ficlets with my main FemShep, Leona, as well as some other Shepards and original characters and stuff. A lot will either be romance-oriented or family-oriented, so feel free to request anything you'd like to see more of!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Grunt will always remember his mother as strong as stubborn, no matter what.

He has been calling her ‘mother’ for some time now, and it is only just recently that he’s come to grasp just how much weight the word carries.

The definition's been in his mind for a long while; provided by an old source he found on the extranet, this one has stuck with him. It makes a warm, indescribable kind of secure feeling settle in his gut. It's not from a dictionary, but it is the one that reminds him most of Leona Shepard.

_A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world.  
It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path._

That two-sentence quote could be Leona, his battlemaster, his mother, summed up in less than fifty words. It has remained burned into Grunt's mind since he stumbled upon it. She is fierce and soft, ruthless and gentle, vengeful and forgiving. That's her. Contradictions wrapped up behind a wall that he has seen, but never had to break down. Her voice would screech commands at him during battle, then rasp lullabies as she patched his wounds.

Gone are the times when he would see her every day. Gone is her life of soldiering, while his has only just begun. Her weapons are laid to rest, not because she is aging, but because she tires of fighting. Day in and day out, it exhilarates Krogan -- for humans, fragile and short-lived, it must be too much. At first, he called her a coward for putting down arms. If someone dares to call her that in his presence now, they will find themselves collecting their teeth from the floor.

Urdnot Grunt's mother is no coward. She's the bravest woman in the galaxy, retired or not.

He can remember when she claimed him as hers, to more than a few people. She has always introduced him as her child to new crew members, yet there weren't many elsewhere who knew she was a mother. To a Krogan, no less. When they stood in the middle of the Presidium that day, all was being captured in live vid feed for the universe to see. And who would not tune in to see the famed Commander Shepard speak on Tuchanka's latest plight?

Completely done with Specter work, Leona was still young then and definitely not finished trying to make the world a better place. As the recorders pointed directly at her, resolve still did not weaken. Her words spoke of the new population boom that the Korgan race was experiencing, the fact that there were not enough Krogan women to care for all the offspring they'd produced and would keep giving birth to. Every so often the former Commander would nudge at Grunt to chime in, because he was standing right beside her. Garrus would speak up as well, smiling like the proud father he was as he had arms full of a baby Krogan who wasn't even a year old at the time.

Leona made this issue her own, imploring those who were watching to consider these new children. The couples and families watching who wanted children were pleaded with by Leona to adopt a Krogan infant, so that they might help raise the next generation of this amazing species. Her cleverly planned climax was to take the baby from Garrus and kiss her head. "Victoria Vakarian," she declared as the child gave an impressive growl for someone so young. There was a pause as Victoria reached back toward Garrus and squealed for her papa. Then Leona spoke again, "My daughter!"

The burst of applause that followed shouldn't have irritated Grunt as much as it did. He knew that his mother and her husband had adopted a Krogan infant themselves, and yes, he was absolutely fond of the tiny future warrior, too. But, an odd ache in his chest protested, what about _him?_ He'd been here first. He'd stood in battle with Leona. They had protected each other; spilled and shed blood together. She was _his_ mother first. There was something hot inside him not unlike the fury of a toddler's tantrum, that burned at the thought of Leona no longer identifying as his mother. Looking back, he should have known not to let that petty jealousy plant any doubt in him.

Because when Leona handed Victoria back to her father, the ex-Commander's next action was to grab Grunt by the hand. Suddenly his arm was thrust upward, and echoing in his mind was a war cry: "Urdnot Grunt -- MY SON!"

Thunderous cheering roared up immediately, yet that wasn't what sent Grunt's mood into orbit. The way that Leona's voice strained itself when she announced that Grunt was her son made it sound like he was her greatest triumph. That if there was any achievement in her life, it was him. Her proudest moment was being Urdnot Grunt's mother. That was Leona Shepard's pinnacle.

It still is, he knows. All the battles she has fought and all the villains she has slain and all the lives she has saved pale in comparison to the simple act of releasing him from his tank.

A child will almost always outlive their mother. If that mother is a different species, the risk increases. Grunt has always denied ferociously that Leona will die one day. How is it possible that the universe will allow greatness like hers to just fizzle out? Human or not, something would grant her immortality.

In the back of his mind, though, he's been quietly reminding himself that this day would come. It is here now, it is her time, and he must find the strength to accept it.

Precious few of the crew are still alive to say their final words to Leona. After they have done so, it's Wrex who has to all but throw Grunt through the door behind which his mother is on her deathbed.

Her eyes are still bright as ever. If he only looks at them, he can pretend that she hasn't aged a day. Then he calls to her, and she smiles. Cracks ripple across her face as she reciprocates.

She was afraid that he would be too late.

She moves slowly, and Grunt accommodates. He kneels by her side, hands clumsy while her bent fingers rest on his palm. For once in his life, the perfect Krogan is utterly silent. This is how a hero like her leaves the world? A brave soldier who considers everyone before herself, _his mother,_ not even permitted an honorable death in battle? The universe is not grateful for all she has done for it.

Neither of them speak, because there is nothing to say. When Leona's thready breaths do give way to speech, it is something he has known for a long time, with a wish for him attached to the end. That is his mother. That's what she does; she shows him as much affection as is in her heart, endears herself to him, and tricks him into promising to behave. This is the time he cannot ignore her request. "I love you, Grunt. Be good for me, please. Be the good boy I know you are. I love you."

He lowers his head, and sets her hand on top of his plates so she can feel him one last time. There's nothing he can say to that except to return the sentiment and swear to make her proud. He tells her it's okay to let go, kisses her cheek, and walks out before tears can form.

Her last breath does not float until he is out the door -- he's all too aware why. The bond he shares with Leona Shepard is steeped in pride, belligerence, and hard-headed determination.

If Grunt had stayed, his mother would have clung to her draining life for all she was worth and more.

For her to be at peace, he knew he had to leave as her heart beat its last. He's not made his own peace with it yet, (he is raw and angry and tempestuous), but he will.

The memories of his mother's lawless, pitiless, daring, crushing, relentless love will soon dull the pain of her death.

If there is anyone who deserves rest now, it is Urdnot Grunt's mother.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so let me explain... I started out wanting to write something fluffy with Grunt and Mama Shepard. Then it uh. Kinda. Sorta. Turned into this. XD
> 
> The quote is by Agatha Christie!


End file.
